"Michelin has a long partnership with education and universities in South Carolina. This includes the Michelin Challenge Education, which supports public Title 1 schools," said Terry Redmile, Michelin's senior vice president of manufacturing for the Americas. "This program allows Michelin employees to participate as tutors, mentors and lunch buddies."
On the collegiate level, Michelin has built partnerships with technical colleges as well as the major universities across the state—Clemson, USC and the College of Charleston—to offer educational opportunities for students and help prepare them for their careers in the tire industry.
"Michelin believes that the jobs of tomorrow don't exist yet," Redmile said, "so these educational partnerships are crucial to ensuring the work force continues to grow with the industry."
Continental, meanwhile, has made its own connections, building relationships with the University of South Carolina through the Darla Moore School of Business. The tire maker also has a representative on the USC Supply Chain Board.
"Since 2015, Continental's manufacturing facility in Sumter, S.C., has been partnering with Central Carolina Technical College (CCTC) specifically with the maintenance apprenticeship program," said Mary Ann Kotlarich, Continental's head of brand communication and public relations for business area replacement in the Americas. "Students attending CCTC are able to study specific maintenance and engineering topics, such as utilities and electrical basics, and combine that with on-site manufacturing work. The program functions like a co-op where the student studies for 20 hours per week and works 20 hours per week."
Bridgestone, likewise, has built some bridges of its own.
Among them is the one that connects it to Aiken Technical College, where it is developing a Technical Scholars program that provides both in-classroom and hands-on training for those looking to build careers in industrial maintenance.
Bridgestone also has plugged into major colleges and universities, with ties to the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. Through these partnerships, students find internship and co-op assignments that routinely lead to full-time job placements and professional careers within Bridgestone.
And Bridgestone continues to give back.
"We at Bridgestone do our best to give back to the communities we make home," the tire maker said. "We are one of the largest contributors to United Way and partner with the local community in multiple areas from wildlife habits on our sites where local students have visited to supporting Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity."
